Pearland council approves $39.9 million budget

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, September 13, 2001

Pearland City Council
on Monday unanimously approved a $39.9 million operating budget with no plans for a tax increase.

Thanks in part to rising property values -- house values are about 22 percent higher this year -- the new budget will not require the city to raise the tax rate, city officials said.

The budget is accompanied by tax rate of 68.6 cents per $100 valuation, the same rate as last year. Under the tax rate, the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay $686 in taxes this year.

Water and sewer rates also would remain the same, said City Manager Bill Eisen.

"I'm happy with it. I think it's a good, sound budget," said Councilman Larry Wilkins, noting that he has talked with Eisen about adding more maintenance staff in the future.

"I'm real quick to say that we have enough chiefs in the city, and I think we need to have some more maintenance people who can get the ditches cleaned out and keep the areas mowed and keep the city maintained," Wilkins said.

Eisen said the budget includes two new maintenance staff workers, as well as other key personnel, including six new police officers, a building inspector, an administrative analyst for the city manager's office, a street and drainage supervisor and part-time employees for a third city ambulance.

Eisen noted that the budget addresses some of the goals set by the city last year, including improvements to the city's drainage system.

To that end, City Council on Monday unanimously approved notice of intent to issue $11.5 million in certificates of obligation to fund several drainage projects in the city.

Those projects include construction of a detention facility at the Southwestern Environmental Center south of FM 518; improvements to Town Ditch, located at the Old Town site; completion of the east detention pond on Clear Creek, just east of Old Alvin Road; and completion of a new fire station on Cullen Road.